“The Protection Magic Array has completely collapsed, is that what you’re saying? In just a moment…”
Upon receiving the urgent report, the Emperor could no longer stand and slumped onto his throne. His head was spinning so much that he couldn’t think of anything for a moment.
“I have truly made a grave mistake. Edmund, that traitorous scoundrel, colluded with the Temple to do something like this. The protective array passed down from my ancestors has collapsed during my reign. It’s no different from half the empire already falling.”
Asking how such a thing was possible is meaningless now.
But the fact is, it has happened, and now is the time to think about countermeasures rather than causes.
A knight from the Imperial Knights knelt down and shouted.
“Your Majesty. This place is dangerous. You must retreat to a safe location.”
“The Great Magic Array has been shattered. Therefore, nowhere in the Imperial Palace is safe. So, should I abandon this throne and the palace and flee? Sirenne. If it really comes to that, I will personally bring this empire to its complete ruin.”
A safe place? Where could such a place even exist?
Fleeing somewhere far outside the palace, somewhere in the vast empire, might be safe. But that safety would come at the cost of many things.
If the Emperor is seen fleeing disgracefully to avoid a civil war, the empire will end that very day. It will become a nation with no dignity left.
What would the lords of various regions think upon seeing this? What about other nations? The Demon Race would surely pounce on a weakened neighbor.
Above all, the situation isn’t yet so dire that such actions are necessary.
“Originally, I thought that with the two of you here, we could easily suppress the Church’s attempt this time. I even considered using this incident as a stepping stone to crush the Church’s influence. Now, I must admit that I underestimated them.”
To think they had the means to completely destroy the Imperial Palace’s Protection Magic Array and strip the palace bare. If I had known beforehand, I wouldn’t have been caught so off guard, but history has no “ifs.”
The important thing is that the Church likely didn’t account for these two being here. Leyman and Geher quietly approached the Emperor’s side, ready to draw their weapons at any moment.
“Do not worry, Your Majesty. This old body will exert some strength for the first time in a while.”
“Haa. If this continues, it’s like two wild boars in a mud pit, excitedly pushing each other. No matter who wins, they’ll both be half-sunk in the mire, and the victor will only achieve a pyrrhic victory.”
“But we cannot surrender. If losing means being battered and winning means being battered, then at least we should be the battered victors.”
At Geher’s words, the Emperor nodded. In any case, he intended to hold the throne here. Even in this situation, he wanted to see with his own eyes whether that damned son of his had the right to usurp the throne.
“Truly, I have become a sinner for the ages. I have no face to meet the previous emperors in the imperial tombs!”
Suddenly, the Emperor remembered something and tightly closed his eyes. The image of his companion, the Empress, flashed through his mind. Hesitating, he opened his mouth.
“Could one of you two go to the Empress’s side? There are no Master-level experts among the guards with her now.”
The number of Masters on the continent is not exactly abundant, but it’s not so rare either.
The problem is, those who have reached the level of Master rarely choose to live under someone else’s command. It’s a reality that few Masters wish to be affiliated with the Imperial Family.
No matter how much wealth, honor, or power is promised, it’s somewhat insufficient to tempt those who already possess such strength. Excluding the Masters guarding the borders, the only Masters currently available to the Imperial Family are essentially Xerox and Ardein.
It would be good if Ardein realized the situation and went to the Empress’s side, but with magical communication impossible, there’s no way to give such orders.
She is probably at the Dragon Vein now, quite far from the Rose Palace where the Empress and the Imperial Consort reside.
“Unfortunately, it seems difficult.”
Leyman smiled faintly and shook his head. His Sense Energy detected two massive presences rushing towards them. If it were just a matter of fighting and winning, one-on-one would be manageable, but…
“Geher. Can you handle those two ladies alone?”
“If it’s just fighting, I can manage. But I can’t guarantee protecting His Majesty from the shockwaves of the battle. If they try to take him hostage instead of a direct confrontation, it’ll be even harder.”
“Tsk. I miss Grimudo. At least he was straightforward.”
“Straightforward? I’d rather fight two Saints alone than face that guy again.”
A Divine Power, almost godlike in its magnitude, different from magical power. Who could possibly emit such power? It seems the Church is truly serious this time.
To summon not one, but two Saints chosen by the gods themselves.
“Frankly, that’s much better.”
Master Geher, without losing his smile, drew his curved sword. The same man who didn’t lose his smile even in front of the Demon King. Compared to the storms he’s weathered in life, this is nothing.
Boom!With a sound like something being demolished, the firmly shut doors shattered, and debris scattered everywhere. Leyman lightly swung his sword, and the debris flying towards them lost momentum and fell.
“Truly energetic women. Youth is indeed a good thing.”
At Geher’s words, a woman holding a hammer of light in both hands, enveloped in radiance, glared at them with shining eyes. It wasn’t just a figure of speech; her eyes were literally glowing like lanterns.
“…The Saint serving the Goddess of Light, Elysia. Arseria. I have come to arrest the heretic.”
Her glowing fluorescent eyes met the Emperor’s gaze. Hearing himself called a heretic, the Emperor smiled. It was a hollow laugh born of disbelief.
“Your Majesty. You won’t surrender quietly, will you?”
“You know me well. You came here so boldly that I thought you might not know.”
The Emperor truly had nothing more to say to them. Saints are essentially the most blind agents, following only the words of the goddess. Their presence here is the most direct evidence that the Three Divine Gods wish for his abdication.
If the gods have already decided, what more can he say? Would speaking even matter? We’ve long passed the stage where persuasion could resolve anything.
In any case, a fight is inevitable. Behind Arseria, a woman slowly stretched and walked forward.
Gracefully, lightly, like a swan, the woman walked forward, draped in a white veil. The glimpses of her skin through the veil captivated everyone’s gaze.
That single veil made her as mysterious as the woman with glowing eyes.
“Your Majesty. I am Sestine, Saint of the Hilrae Church. If you insist on shedding bl**d, we have no choice. I apologize in advance.”
“Haha.”
The calm Leyman laughed. Elder Geher also laughed.
Who will shed bl**d remains to be seen. As the two men each chose their opponents and stood before the Saints, a glint appeared in the eyes of the two women.
Sestine, looking at the hunched elder before her, asked in disbelief. Is the empire so lacking in talent that they’d send someone like this to stop her?
“Old man, do you have the strength to wield a sword?”
“Of course, more than enough. I recently went hiking at Mount Meso, you see. Have you heard of it? The mineral water there is quite famous. You might not know, but water is surprisingly heavy. When I was a mercenary, I first realized how heavy water really is. So, what I’m saying is…”
I’m still strong enough to carry two large jugs of mineral water with both hands.
To get to the point of this one sentence, Sestine had to endure a long, tedious story about mercenary life.
As the pointless tales about the sparkling taste of Mount Meso’s mineral water and how he only drinks that water continued, her patience finally reached its limit.
“Sigh, I’m sorry, but could you fight with your sword instead of your mouth?”
“Well, if you insist. But then, I might want to fight with my mouth again.”
Geher finally drew his curved sword and laughed. Beside him, Leyman and Arseria were already crossing blades without a word.
Sestine, realizing this, was startled. Right beside her, a hammer of divine power and a sword with explosive destructive force clashed, yet there was no sound. Only silence.
Of course, the most surprised was the Saint of Light herself. She felt a strange, eerie sensation, as if she had struck a soft cotton ball. It was such an unfamiliar feeling that she briefly wondered if she had actually swung her hammer.
When this radiant hammer strikes, the sensation in her hands is one of two things: the clean feeling of shattering something, or the heavy, solid resistance of something enduring the impact. But this was neither.
“…What kind of technique is this?”
“Calling it a technique feels a bit disappointing.”
The steadfast swordsman smirked.
“Let’s call it the Void Sword.”
